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Which Veteran Players Fantasy Football Stock Crumbled After 2019 NFL Draft?

Trey Daubert / Fantasy Football, NFL / May 1, 2019

The 2019 NFL Draft is designed to bring hope to each team and fan base. It’s the future! In a lot of instances, the future is now. That means bad news for some of the veterans on rosters that were previously entrenched in roles. The draft always changes things. Which veteran players stock took a tumble after the 2019 NFL Draft? It has massive effects for fantasy football.

Case Keenum (Washington Redskins)

Case Keenum went from starter to bridge real quick. The Redskins now have what is considered the future with Dwayne Haskins. All indications point to Haskins getting a shot to start right away. Will that actually come to fruition? Maybe, but worst case, it seems like Haskins gets in there sooner rather than later. If you’re a real man that plays in 2 quarterback leagues, Keenum just went from a target to an afterthought.

Joe Flacco (Denver Broncos)

I would have put Eli Manning on this list but he’s already the worst quarterback in the league. Instead, I’ll go with Flacco. On paper, the fit in Denver is perfect for Flacco. Big quarterback who has a cannon for an arm where the ball will really travel in the mile high city. Well, now the Broncos drafted their quarterback for the future in Drew Lock. Flacco could start all year but he failed to fend off Lamar Jackson last year. Lamar Jackson can’t even throw the ball. Lock can absolutely sling it. Flacco better win early or he may get yanked. Again, this is for the real men who play in 2 quarterback leagues.

Kyle Rudolph (Minnesota Vikings)

The draft weekend was a brutal one for the Rudolph household. Rudolph can basically punch his ticket elsewhere in 2020. Rudolph is in the final year of his contract and the Vikings just drafted Irv Smith in the 2nd round. Smith is the best tight end in the draft. I would assume that Smith will be worked in slowly year one while getting groomed to take over full time in 2020. Maybe Rudolph’s stock doesn’t take a massive hit in year one, he still will likely lose some targets.

Jordan Howard (Philadelphia Eagles)

I already feel bad for Jordan Howard fantasy owners. Philadelphia seemed like such a great landing spot not too long ago. Now, not so much. I’m NOT high on Miles Sanders but he was drafted in the second round. The guy is going to be plenty of opportunities. Howard was ticketed for a large role. That role shrunk with Sanders in town. Philadelphia also has Corey Clement, Josh Adams, and Wendell Smallwood on the roster. This backfield could be one to avoid in fantasy.

Todd Gurley (Los Angeles Rams)

This one may be a stretch but follow along if you can. When the Rams drafted Darrell Henderson in the third round, I was really confused. Gurley is one of the best backs in the league. What’s the deal with Henderson? Maybe, Gurley’s knee issues are worse than we think. Using an early third round pick on a running back may be one way of hinting that. If Gurley is no longer a high volume running, his stock takes a massive hit. His end of the season didn’t do any favors to quiet those concerns.

Tarik Cohen or Mike Davis (Chicago Bears)

The Bears didn’t draft just one running back. They drafted two. David Montgomery and Kerrith Wyhte are now added to the mix. This could mean a couple things. Some may be true and some may be false. Chicago doesn’t believe Tarik Cohen can be anything more than a change of pace player reserved for a Darren Sproles role. Mike Davis is nothing more than an insurance policy. Maybe all of that is overblown and those two players won’t factor in. Regardless, this was brutal for the Bears running backs in terms of fantasy value.

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Sony Michel (New England Patriots)

We don’t know the answer to this one either. Maybe Rex Burkhead is the one that really suffers and gets demoted to a special teams only capacity. It’s hard to predict how Belichick will use his backs. Fantasy football owners do not like Belichick for that reason. What if Damien Harris is the new touchdown hog? That would be a disaster for Sony Michel fantasy owners. Michel ended the 2018 season on a tear. I’m sure a lot of people are expecting Michel to take a leap. If he losses touchdowns to Harris (who is a big back and got goal line looks at Bama) then Michel isn’t nearly as valuable.